Particularly, with infants, it is desirable to design a stroller that can secure a travel seat, such as an infant car seat carrier, so that the travel seat can be mounted between a car seat base and a stroller without having to remove the infant from the travel seat. An example of a stroller that can accommodate such a travel seat is disclosed in U.S. Patent Pub. Nos. 2005/0242549 and 2005/0264062, which are incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth. It is known in the art to mount child travel seats in both single and tandem strollers.
Tandem strollers, also known as dual or double strollers, allow a parent to place two children in the same stroller assembly. A common arrangement for a tandem stroller is to have a first child seat oriented in the front portion of the stroller and a second child seat oriented in the rear portion of the stroller. In a modified arrangement, a standing platform can replace the second seat to accommodate an older child.
Overall size of the stroller and mounted child travel seat is an important consideration for consumers. Maintaining an acceptable size is challenging when mounting a child travel seat to a tandem stroller, and mounting two child travel seats to a tandem stroller presents an even greater challenge. Many tandem strollers attempt to meet the challenge of mounting two travel seats by using additional removable components to mount a travel seat to the front of the stroller. For example, many tandem strollers require a travel seat adapter to be mounted on the front end of the stroller to secure a travel seat. However, requiring additional components to accomplish this function is typically time consuming and undesirable to consumers. Thus, there is a need for a tandem stroller that can accommodate two child travel seats without requiring additional components.
In addition, fabric management becomes difficult with tandem strollers in order to keep travel seat securing devices on the stroller exposed for engagement with a complementary securing device on a travel seat. It is desirable to have a tandem stroller with a travel seat securing device positioned in an area on the stroller which requires minimal fabric management.
Known tandem strollers having a front and rear seat configuration are often long and do not fold compactly. It is well recognized that strollers having a large length between the front wheels and rear wheels (“wheel base length”) are more difficult to control and maneuver. In addition, such strollers typically do not fold compactly and are difficult to store in a storage area, such as a vehicle trunk or cargo space. Therefore, there remains a need for a tandem stroller that can accommodate two travel seats, has a shorter wheelbase length, and a more compact fold.